Bengaluru, July 31 (IANS) Kannada organisations and farmer groups on Friday intensified their opposition to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) decision, warning of statewide protests and a possible Karnataka bandh if the state government releases water to Tamil Nadu amid a looming drinking water crisis.
A meeting of pro-Kannada organisations, farmer groups, Dalit, labour and progressive organisations has been convened in Bengaluru under activist Vatal Nagaraj to chalk out the next course of action.
Addressing reporters, Vatal Nagaraj said not “a single drop” of Cauvery water should be released to Tamil Nadu and urged the state government to take a firm stand on the issue.
“The government must make it clear that it will not release a drop of water to Tamil Nadu. Karnataka’s interests must be protected at any cost. We are prepared for any protest and are even ready to send thousands of activists to jail,” he said.
Sources said the meeting will be held at a private hotel in Bengaluru. Organisers said efforts would be made to ensure the shutdown is observed across Karnataka.
Kannada organisations have been staging protests for the past three days, rejecting the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee’s (CWRC) direction on water release.
Adding a political dimension to the protests, Kannada activist Praveen Kumar Shetty demanded a ban on “Jana Nayagan,” a film starring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay.
“The government has convened an all-party meeting on August 2. If it fails to ban the movie, we will have to take up the task ourselves. All Kannada organisations will come together and announce the date for the bandh,” he said.
Meanwhile, police detained several protesters who staged demonstrations at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in Mandya and at other locations across south Karnataka.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy urged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar not to agree to any release of water to Tamil Nadu. “We do not have sufficient water even for drinking purposes; the Chief Minister must stand with Karnataka. The people of the state will decide if he acts otherwise,” he said.
Responding to the protests, Congress MLA Ganiga Ravi accused the BJP of politicising the issue and urged all stakeholders to participate in the all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday.
“The BJP should stop political drama and attend the all-party meeting. Karnataka is part of a federal system, and the government has already stated that water will not be released. We must now await the Supreme Court’s view on the matter,” Ravi said, while appealing to farmers and activists to refrain from road blockades and maintain peace.
–IANS
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